BARLEY grown on Cornish farms this year will be used to create 24-million pints of beer.

Around 2,000 tonnes of barley have been harvested from the 19 farms which St Austell Brewery partners with across the county.

The brewery has been working with Cornish farmers for almost a quarter of a century to grow a portion of the barley which goes into making its beer.

Each year the brewers head out to the fields – with some as close as three miles away from the brewery in St Austell – to see how the crop has fared.

This year the brewery also invited partners along including seed suppliers and representatives from Simpsons Malt.

Brewing director Georgina Young said: “Sunshine, especially during ripening is critical for barley quality and yield. The weather this year has been some of the worst, wettest, most sunless and grey months and the winter barley harvest across the country has been indifferent at best with a massive range of both quality and yield.

“So, our hopes for the crop weren’t high – but all fears were allayed as we zig-zagged through the golden swaying fields of winter barley, which has done extremely well despite the weather conditions. The quality has been excellent.”